Meanwhile, Long was at a nearby gas station waiting for a tow truck, when troopers circled back to question him.

They asked him why he was on his way to California, and he told them “a business meeting at Google headquarters.”

They thought it was suspicious that Long, on an apparent cross-country roadtrip, didn’t have any luggage with him.

At that point though, officers did not have a reason to arrest him, so they let him go on to California.

But they weren't completely done with the case.

"He never just came out in direct threats, he kind of worked around it - that if they wouldn't have this meeting, he was going to make a meeting happen,” Zenor said. That gave him enough pause to alert police in California.

"I relayed to them, 'I really think this subject has thoughts, and he could actually harm someone,’” he said.

Hours later police in California arrested long for making threats toward Google employees.

Back home in Iowa, trooper Zenor was relieved

"I truly believe I was just doing my job,” he said. “I truly feel like anybody, any other officer in this situation, would've handled and done that extra work."

Police said Long was mad at YouTube because his videos were deleted, preventing him from earning money.

California police said they found three baseball bats in long's trunk.